The release of military acquired lands in the North and East has been accelerated following the establishment of the Special Task force for the development of the Northern and Eastern Provinces. This was disclosed by the security forces at the meeting of the Presidential Task Force for the Development of the North and East chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena. The meeting focused attention on the issues and suggestions presented by political representatives of the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

The Task Force was established in August last year by President Sirisena to expedite the development of the North and the East. Following the establishment of the Task Force, 6951 acres of land in the two provinces have been released with the support of all parties including the Governors of the Northern and Eastern Provinces and another 475 acres of land will be released in the near future.

The President instructed the governors of the two provinces to be proactive and discuss their issues with the military authorities to expedite attempts to solve these issues. He instructed the relevant officials to bring and discuss any issues that cannot be resolved at a future meeting of the task force.

At the end of the humanitarian operation in 2009, nearly 84,675 acres of land in the North and the East remained with the security forces. The clearance of lands by the de-mining process was accelerated after President Sirisena assumed office in January 2015 with 71,178 acres already released to their owners.

Accordingly, 13,497 acres of land is in the custody of the security forces, of which 11,039 acres of land are State owned lands. A further 475 acres of land will be released in the coming days. Accordingly, the State lands in the North and East which were in the custody of the Security Forces (81%) and the private lands belonging to the private owners (90%) have been released. The President also instructed the officials to release the rest of the lands in an accelerated manner and to expedite the payment of compensation.

The leader of the Tamil National Alliance, Mr. R. Sampanthan, Governor of the Northern Province Dr. Suren Raghavan, Governor of the Eastern Province, Mr. M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, Secretary to the President Mr. Udaya R. Senevirathne, three commanders of the Armed forces and the IGP were also present at this meeting.

A man in Mullaitivu District claimed to be the tallest person in Sri Lanka. According to BBC Sinhala Service, Gunasingham Kasenthiran, a former cadre of the proscribed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who lives in Kaiveli, Puthukudiruppu is seven feet two inches tall.

In an effort to nip any discord with India in the bud, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) faction led by Nimal Siripala de Silva as acting chairman called on Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha and disassociated itself from remarks by its former Chairman Maithripala Sirisena implicating alleged Indian involvement in orchestrating the Easter Sunday attacks, an informed source said.

The Sri Lankan Rupee has depreciated slightly against the US Dollar at commercial banks in Sri Lanka today (Apr 29) compared to last week. According to Seylan Bank, the buying and selling rates of the US Dollar are unchanged at Rs. 290.50 and Rs. 301, respectively.

An attempt to send a 17-year-old boy abroad on forged travel documents was foiled and two women suspected of their involvement in the racket were arrested by the Border Surveillance Unit of the Department of Immigration and Emigration at the Bandaranaike International Airport.

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has expressed serious concern over recent remarks made by Minister Tiran Alles, and urging President Ranil Wickremesinghe to remove him from the portfolio of Public Security.

Political tremors are expected on May Day (Wednesday) as members of a few political parties are expected to appear at the UNP May Day rally, UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene said over the weekend.

The Anuradhapura High Court on Friday passed a death sentence on five police officers who were found guilty of killing eight Tamil civilians at the Bharathipuram village in Kantale 26 years ago. The sentence was passed by High Court Judge Manoj Thalgodapitiya.

Former Army commander Sarath Fonseka told Parliament today (April 26) that the person who had groomed the main Easter Sunday suicide bomber – Zahran Hashim, is the current head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) Maj Gen (Rtd.) Suresh Salley.

Sri Lankan-born Rt Rev Anashuya Fletcher was recently ordained and installed as Assistant Bishop of Wellington, New Zealand. The event was held at the Wellington Cathedral of St. Paul and was attended by over 600 well-wishers.

Australia has decided to donate an aircraft to support maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) including Sri Lanka.

More than 7,000 soldiers who deserted the Sri Lanka Army have received legal discharge during an amnesty period declared by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence.

The Sri Lankan Government has rejected a request for an American research ship to enter Sri Lankan waters. This decision is in line with the Government’s policy of not allowing any research vessel to enter Sri Lankan waters.

Alexis Taylor, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), together with U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung, met with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and other senior government officials to discuss USDA support for Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector, a statement from the US Embassy said.

Refuting reports that Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa avoided meeting visiting Iranian President Dr. Ebrahim Raisi, SJB MP Nalin Bandara said yesterday that Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa did not get an appointment from the Iranian Embassy to meet the Iranian President.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam on Thursday accused the infamous Tripoli platoon, a paramilitary intelligence unit, of involvement in the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019.

The ruling alliance, led by the Podu Jana Peramuna, popularly known as the Buds Party, has endorsed Ranil Wickremasinghe as its candidate for the upcoming Presidential Elections, set to take place in the third week of October, according to a reliable inside source.

ormer Minister Basil Rajapaksa met Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha yesterday (27) and discussed. The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka conveyed a X message regarding the meeting, highlighting discussions on matters of mutual interest, including the political situation.

A 30-year-old man was arrested by the Biyagama Police in Kaduwela for possession of a substantial haul of narcotics. Police said the suspect was carrying 15 kilograms of ICE, 14 kilograms of hash and 941 grams of heroin at the time of the arrest.

Ahead of the presidential election scheduled for October this year, the foreign powers have ramped up their efforts in the assessment of ground political developments as was in the case of vital elections in the past.

Refuting reports that Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa avoided meeting visiting Iranian President Dr. Ebrahim Raisi, SJB MP Nalin Bandara said today that Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa did not get an appointment from the Iranian Embassy to meet the Iranian President.